Smoke from a brush fire can be seen from the intersection of Cove Road and Kanner Highway on Sunday, March 16, 2014, south of Stuart.

Treasure Coast Newspapers

MARTIN COUNTY — The Florida Division of Forestry couldn’t find the cause of Sunday’s 22-acre brush fire near Salerno Road, so it has called in an investigator from the state Department of Agriculture’s law enforcement office.

The midday fire burned as strong winds swirled and the flames eventually threatened 20 houses, downed a power line and burned a shed, Division of Forestry spokeswoman Melissa Yunas said Monday.

Her agency couldn’t find evidence of a campfire, a cigarette or that ATVs had been through the area, possibly sparking some vegetation on fire.

And because there was damage to the power line and a shed and threats to homes, she said a representative of the office of Agriculture Law Enforcement came in Monday to look for other clues. There is no deadline or time frame for the inquiry

Today, the fire is fully contained and smoke hasn’t been a problem.

The fire burned land near the intersection of Salerno Road and Kanner Highway south of Stuart. The fire jumped Salerno Road and got into a wooded area surrounded by homes. There the fire destroyed a shed.

Martin County Fire Rescue crews moved in to guard the homes that residents were evacuated from, and a Florida Division of Forestry helicopter repeatedly dropped 320-gallon loads of water on the fire. That enabled fire crews to get closer to the blaze.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious is asked to call the Arson Alert Hotline at 800-342-5869. Callers may remain anonymous. Intentional burning of lands is a criminal act under state statutes.